All About Angela

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Daily Chronicles of an Angela

I get asked a lot about how I balance "high" mileage during the work week. Here's a glimpse into what I consider a heavy training day..... I want to preface this post by saying that I realize this routine may seem excessive to some. Remember, I'm training for a ONE HUNDRED MILER.... Also, this is not the norm. At the end of this post, I will discuss another way in which I accommodate heavier training days.

I have a super weird morning routine. I actually shower and eat breakfast BEFORE I run.

My alarm is set for 4:45 AM. Being a chronic snoozer, I'm usually up between 5 - 5:30 (the latter today). I wake up ravenous...I cannot even fathom the fasting method. Every morning, it's the same breakfast of two toasted frozen waffles piled high with almond butter and jam (I give serving sizes the bird). And these are just old school Eggo Waffles....Sorry, foodies. Along with breakfast, I drink two scoops of Amino Energy; this is the only sports supplement that I take regularly....Not attempting to sell anyone on anything but I've had done well with this - nice boost without a crash.

Let's be clear ....My dog is about 99 percent of the reason that I'm so disciplined about running each morning. When I don't run with him, he punishes me until redemption is earned....He will outright reject my affection even refusing to look at me. And yeah, I love my dog A LOT... How could you not?!?!

Yoshimi is notorious for being a distracted runner....Bushes need marked and squirrels chased...No concern about pace here. Total for this morning was 6.5 miles. Tuesdays + Wednesdays are hectic because I have double runs AND yoga... I change my clothes FOUR times on these days....This makes for A LOT of preparation!

Life is much easier when I stick with clothes that I can easily strip out of and get back into.

I live just over a mile from my office so I walk to work everyday....Perfect cool-down from a run! Around 10, my stomach begins to rumble without fail. This weekend, I was ambitious and whipped up some energy bars (oats + dates + dried berries + dark chocolate chips)....I inhale one of those and my clients are saved from a hangry monster.

I chow lunch down at my desk during slow periods. During my actual lunch hour, I conquer my second run. Three important things to note if you're wanting to attempt this.... (1) Eat early enough to allow proper digestion to occur....at least an hour! (2) Your lunch has to be somewhat on the safe side and (3) Take a later lunch if you've ran earlier so that you're ensuring adequate recovery.

5.4 miles on lunch - It always takes a couple miles to fall into a groove but I LOVE escaping outside in the middle of a workday. I should bring up that I keep a duffel bag in the back room of our office which has essentials such as deodorant and baby wipes....This is mandatory for all lunch time warriors! After a lunch run, I'm a bottomless pit... It's imperative to bring healthy snacks to keep from diving into the candy bowl. Today, I munched on turkey slices with sharp cheddar + a banana.

Immediately after work, I head to the yoga studio down the street for ninety minutes of hot Bikram torture. Usually, I prepare a slow cooker meal for these nights in order to save my husband the burden of dinner. Thankfully, we were stocked with plentiful leftovers. For dinner, I had a GIANT bowl of white rice with leftover salsa verde chicken (not pictured). Dessert was a bowl of Coco Puffs because I have the food desires of a toddler.

Wednesdays are fairly similar in terms of training - double runs + yoga. However, I structure the days differently. In the morning, I do just a few miles (3-4) immediately followed by the Bikram Express class. Depending upon how I feel, I run another 3 - 5 miles on lunch.....and then I'm done! I'm home at a normal hour.....free to annoy my husband and hang with the hooligans.